Renovations, modifications, or additions to the UAB Physical Plant (buildings and grounds) or to any portion of the utility systems in the Physical Plant may have a significant impact on compliance of facilities or buildings with the State Building Code, Life Safety Code, and other building codes enforced by authorities having jurisdiction, such as the City of Birmingham. Violations of such codes also can impact the proper functioning of the buildings and grounds and possibly can impact the life safety of faculty, staff, students, patients, and visitors to the campus. Because of this, it is imperative that all Physical Plant modifications and/or additions be coordinated through the Office of the Vice President for Financial Affairs and Administration, the UAB Facilities division, and other officials with responsibilities for such activities on campus.

The terms "renovations," "modifications," and "additions" as used in this policy encompass all types of exterior and interior changes to any extent, in whole or in part, for any facility owned, leased, or operated by UAB, regardless of funding source(s).

Policy Statement

Implementation of this policy shall be according to the stipulations indicated in the Implementation section at the end of the policy.

All renovations, modifications, and/or additions to any UAB facility (academic, administrative, research, Hospital, etc.) must be approved by, and coordinated through, the UAB Vice President for Financial Affairs and Administration or the entity designated as the Office of Primary Responsibility as indicated in the Implementation section.

Architects and Consultants: Feasibility studies that involve architectural/consultant design/review or programming of facilities for users and that involve use of outside consulting or architectural assistance must be reviewed and approved through the designated Office of Primary Responsibility. The respective Office of Primary Responsibility will provide appropriate architectural/consultant selection procedures and is responsible for staffing such selections and contract provisions.

Contractors: All work involving persons or work forces (for example, contractors, subcontractors, material suppliers/installers) other than UAB Facilities personnel with regards to modifications and/or additions to facilities or utilities must be requested through the Office of the Senior Facilities Officer or the Associate Vice President for Financial Affairs and Administration. Departments/units engaging such contractors must have procedures in place which have been approved by the Office of the Senior Facilities Officer. In order to monitor the quality of outside contractor services and to verify compliance with workers' compensation and liability insurance requirements, all contractors performing work on any component of UAB’s Physical Plant must be approved by the respective Office of Primary Responsibility listed in the Implementation section.

Exterior Changes: All projects at UAB which impact the exterior appearance of a facility or the appearance of the grounds must be submitted to the UAB President and to the Board of Trustees for review and approval. When applicable, appropriate approvals through the President and the Board of Trustees will be obtained through the designated Offices of Primary Responsibility listed in the Implementation section.

Renovations: All renovation projects must be submitted through the designated Offices of Primary Responsibility listed in the Implementation section. The term "renovation" includes any refurbishing or making as good as, or like, new including the installation of equipment which requires changes to the physical space and/or utilities. The designated Offices of Primary Responsibility will be responsible for providing services and/or reviewing the design of renovation projects which impact physical building characteristics, building utilities, or the infrastructure of life safety systems in a building.

Maintenance: Work which is performed by UAB Facilities Management departments (for example, Campus Maintenance or Hospital Maintenance) to maintain a facility must be requested by contacting the appropriate department which provides coverage for the affected area. All other maintenance work not performed by UAB Facilities Management departments must comply with the "Contractors" and/or "Architects and Consultants" sections of this policy.

Furnishings: No furnishings (drapes, furniture, floor coverings, carpeting, etc.) for facilities owned or operated by UAB shall be purchased without following the UAB "Purchasing Policies and Guidelines." This is necessary, in part, to ensure that furnishings meet appropriate life safety and fire tests as required by codes. In order to ensure procedural coordination, if adding or changing furnishings requires modifications or additions to the facility or utilities, requests must be submitted through the designated Office of Primary Responsibility listed in the Implementation section. Also, if changes to furnishings (for example, type of floor covering) will have consequences for future maintenance of the facility, requests must be submitted through the appropriate Office of Primary Responsibility.

Permits: It is unlawful to perform modifications, additions, or new construction without appropriate permits and approval of plans and specifications by the local authority having jurisdiction. Modifications to facilities or utilities without the appropriate permitting and the resulting plan review could result in increased risks to the safety of faculty, staff, students, and the public. The permitting authority may be the City of Birmingham or various state agencies such as the State Building Commission or the State Department of Public Health. Other regulatory agencies monitor on a periodic or ongoing basis the status of UAB facilities, and compliance with the requirements of those entities is crucial to the ongoing operation of UAB. Those entities may include the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations, various accreditation agencies for academic and research entities, and numerous others. In order for UAB to comply with state and local laws, it is imperative that all work which impacts the physical plant facilities or utilities owned by UAB or leased for use by UAB be permitted through the appropriate UAB Office of Primary Responsibility as defined herein.

No work requiring the issuance of permits may be performed on any component of UAB’s Physical Plant until the proper permits have been issued by applicable regulatory agencies. Applications for permits for modifications/additions to any UAB facilities or utilities are to be submitted to the City of Birmingham or to other regulatory authorities only as approved by the Offices of Primary Responsibility listed in the Implementation section. A department/unit with procedures in place which have been approved by the Office of the Senior Facilities Officer in conjunction with such permits may proceed accordingly.

Implementation

The Vice President for Financial Affairs and Administration is responsible for overall implementation of this policy. The Offices of Primary Responsibility for various types of facilities as indicated below are responsible for the procedures and guidelines for administering this policy. Currently, responsibilities for procedures are designated as follows:

Academic, administrative, research, and support facilities owned or operated by UAB: The Senior Facilities Officer is the Office of Primary Responsibility.Facilities leased by UAB: The Associate Vice President for Business Services is the Office of Primary Responsibility. The Associate Vice President for Business Services also coordinates the use and modifications of these facilities with the Senior Facilities Officer in order to verify compliance with life-safety and building codes.

Campus planning and master planning activities: These activities must be coordinated through the Senior Facilities Officer in order to verify compliance with life-safety and building codes.

Capital planning, design, and construction activities associated with the UAB Health System: The Associate Vice President for Financial Affairs and Administration is responsible for coordinating these activities with the Senior Facilities Officer.

All of the officials designated above shall coordinate their activities, as appropriate, within Financial Affairs and Administration.